1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fastener dispensing device of which the overall configuration and the function generally resemble a pistol-type gun and with which a plurality of filament-shaped fasteners molded from a synthetic resin in the form of an integral assembly and loaded assembly by assembly in the device are successively dispensed relative to a variety of objects one at each time of the operation. More particularly, the invention relates to a fastener dispensing device of the mentioned type which is improved in that even in case of a change in the pitch of the individual fastener arrangement in fastener assemblies, it can without fail dispense individual fasteners successively one at a time of the operation of the device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Today widely utilized among for example manufactures/retailers of fabric-made goods are filament-shaped fasteners which are molded from a synthetic resin such as nylon or polypropyrene for example and which are dispensed typically for attaching tags, labels or the like to various items of merchandise or for arranging a plurality of objects in pair assortments or securing any groups of objects to one another. Now that they are utilized typically in attaching tags or the like, for example price tags, the fasteners in reference are broadly also called tagging pins or tag pins.
These tag pins, namely fasteners, individually comprise a filament having a head and a crossbar at one and the other ends thereof. The filament also has a connection neck protruded beyond the crossbar in the direction away the head, and through the connection neck of respective pins, a prescribed number of pins are integrally arranged on a carrier rod like teeth of a comb, to comprise an integral assembly of fasteners. While fasteners are thus manufactured and supplied in the form of assemblies, this is for reasons of a convenience met in the manufacture, an easiness realized for the packaging and transportation, and also a high efficiency attained of the manipulation or dispensing, of fasteners, and normally 20 to 50 pins are arranged on a single carrier rod of a fastener assembly. Further, for reasons of conveniences in the fabrication of molds and also the loading and dispensing of fasteners in and through a dispensing device, pins or fasteners are formed at a pitch normally of the order of 2 mm on the carrier rod.
Fasteners manufactured by molding and supplied as above are loaded in a dispensing device assembly by assembly, and when the dispensing device is operated, PG,5 they are individually successively severed one at a time of the operation and applied to objects in a manner such that a part of the fastener is pierced through the object and anchored thereto.
One form of the device with which to dispense fasteners as above is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,653 (Akira Furutu). As disclosed in the patent, the general configuration or structure of the device resembles a gun or pistol as before mentioned and in respect also to its function, the device may well be likened to a gun in that it includes an operation lever resembling a trigger in the gun, which may be put for a pulling operation to let a fastener be pierced, if not completely, through an object like a bullet in the case of the gun.
In greater detail, the fastener dispensing device comprises a structural main body, which has a side-slotted hollow needle removably mounted at the nose thereof, and an operation lever or a trigger which is operable to rock relative to the main body. Behind the tail end of the hollow needle, the main body is formed with a guide groove, into which a fastener assembly is loaded and within which individual fasteners of the loaded fastener assembly are successively fed to the prescribed discharge position which is, broadly speaking, aligned with the hollow of the hollow application needle. When the trigger is pulled by gripping, a first fastener which has been fed to the prescribed discharge position within the main body becomes detached from the next following fastener of the loaded fastener assembly and, through the needle that has previously been applied through an object, applied to the object in a manner such that its crossbar reaches the far side of the object.
In conventional fastener dispensing devices and as is the case with the apparatus disclosed in the United States patent above referred to, the fastener feeding mechanism which, upon completion of the dispensing of a first fastener, feeds a second pin to the prescribed discharge position, makes use of a ratchet wheel or gear and comprises a structure such that with the teeth of the ratchet wheel mesh engaged between adjacent connection necks on the carrier rod of the fastener assembly, the ratchet wheel is rotated a tooth distance at each time of the rocking operation of the trigger to thereby effect feeding of fasteners.
As before stated, the interval between each adjacent fasteners on a carrier rod is fixed at a certain value, for example 2 mm, but it has of late been increasingly demanded that there should be supplied a variety of fastener assemblies varied in such inter-fastener interval or pitch. This is because, in practice, to provide a fastener assembly having a denser arrangement of its member fasteners only requires a smaller mold, which can be of an accordingly reduced thermal capacity, with which an advantage can be attained in the light of the thermal economy, and also because smaller molds can be fabricated at a reduced cost. Further, with an assembly of fasteners of which the filament is considerably great in length, it is necessary to enlarge the inter-fastener pitch.
When the pitch of the fastener arrangement in the fastener assembly is changed as above or, in other words, when it is required to manipulate a variety of fastener assemblies which have different pitches of the fastener arrangement or, more accurately, the arrangement of connection necks, an inconvenience is encountered with the existing fastener dispensing devices or, more specifically, the fastener feeding mechanism thereof. That is to say, the fastener feeding mechanism of the conventional dispensing device utilizes a gear the tooth pitch of which is adapted to the pitch of the inter-connection neck of a given fastener assembly, so that when a fastener assembly of a different connection-neck pitch is given for manipulation, the existing gear can no longer be effectively operated to feed fasteners. For example, with a fastener dispensing device of which the fastener feeding mechanism is adapted to manipulation of fastener assemblies having a pitch of connection necks of the order of 2 mm, this cannot be effectively employed for dispensing fasteners arranged in a pitch essentially greater or smaller than 2 mm. A same as above is applicable also in case where a given fastener assembly involves an irregularity in the inter-connection neck pitch possibly attributable to an accidental error in the manufacture of the fastener assembly.